KEY POINTS:
The equine influenza (EI) outbreak in New South Wales has as devastating an impact on the community as a natural disaster, such as a cyclone, a major union there says.
The virus, which has spread to thoroughbreds at Randwick racecourse, has caused the abandonment of the rich Sydney racing carnival in early October and threatened the livelihoods of those in the racing industry.
Eight of 10 horses tested were yesterday confirmed positive, with the disease expected to spread quickly through the 700 thoroughbreds trained at Randwick.
Australian Workers Union (AWU) national secretary Bill Shorten said the shutdown of Sydney's premier race track would have a "huge impact" on hundreds of "other" workers involved in the industry.
Trackwork riders, on-course betting clerks, maintenance workers, bar staff, cleaners, clerks of course and stable hands would all lose income, he told The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"This is the equivalent of a cyclone coming through a region and I think that people have to look at it in this context," he said.
"What would we do to fix up cyclone damage?"
Mr Shorten said it was still too early to say whether anyone would be forced out of the industry permanently. That depended on the duration of the outbreak.
"How many people will be able to service mortgages and loans?"
There was no way, he said, that workers could be compensated for all lost income, but neither should they be forced to suffer extreme financial hardship.
"We think employers shouldn't be standing people down," Mr Shorten said.
He said was pleased the federal government had answered the union's calls with a distress fund, but said it had to ensure workers were looked after as well as industry.
The federal Minister for Agriculture, Peter McGauran, launched a A$4 million ($4.7m) fund with up to $2.5m available to the industry in NSW and the balance to Queensland.
The head of Racing NSW, Peter V'Landys, described the Randwick shutdown as "a dark, dark day for racing in this state".
The State Government said there were now 488 infected horses in NSW with a further 1646 suspected of having contracted the disease.
The disease resulted in its first death - a horse at Wilberforce, 70km northwest of Sydney.
"Randwick will be closed probably for the next two months, which completely destroys their spring campaign," the NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said.
The shutdown rules out NSW horses competing in the Melbourne Cup and the Cox Plate.
No outbreak has been confirmed in Victoria, but Racing Victoria is awaiting tests on six horses north of Shepparton, in the north of the state.
The quarantine on horse movement was last night was extended to jockeys. Sydney hoops Darren Beadman and Hugh Bowman have been banned from riding in Victoria because of their possible contact with infected horses.
While New Zealand has banned horse imports from Australia, racing authorities here have relaxed the ban they instituted this week on jockeys from Australia riding here.
Jockeys and riders are being asked to undertake extreme biosecurity measures before coming in contact with any horses here.
The new measures apply to Sydney-based former New Zealand rider Larry Cassidy, who is engaged to ride Splashing Out in the Mudgway Stakes at Hastings on Saturday.
"We can't stress enough the importance of taking every possible measure to prevent EI from invading our equine industry," Racing Board chief executive Graeme Hansen said yesterday.
"The stance taken by NZTR echoes the sentiments of the entire industry in our quest to protect our EI free status.
"It is paramount that all travellers abide by strict MAF Biosecurity guidelines ensuring their own decontamination practises including disinfecting gear, clothing and any other items which could become infected."
MAF Biosecurity said yesterday it was growing more confident that the virus has not arrived in New Zealand.
It yesterday completed blood sampling of all horses classified as high priority, mainly those that have arrived from Australia in the past two weeks.
"We don't have any active investigations under way and are growing more confident as time passes. Test results are starting to trickle in and will confirm whether horses are free of the disease," said acting director of border standards, Peter Thomson.
- NZPA
